Germany's government and the two major opposition parties said last night that they would jointly nominate former East German human rights activist Joachim Gauck to be the country's next president.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said her centre-right coalition government, and the centre-left opposition rallied behind Mr Gauck, 72, who was initially proposed by the opposition Social Democrats and Greens. He is not a member of a political party.

Christian Wulff, 52, quit as president on Friday amid allegations of corruption when he was a state governor.

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